[Breeding of new Artemisia annua variety "Kehao No.1"].

As a natural plant source of artemisinin,a first-line drug against malaria,Artemisia annua directly affects the extraction process of artemisinin and the source of artemisinin. At present,traditional breeding methods combined with tissue culture are often used to breed high-yield artemisinin-containing new varieties of A. annua.

Radiation induces acid tolerance of Clostridium tyrobutyricum and enhances bioproduction of butyric acid through a metabolic switch.

Background: Butyric acid as a renewable resource has become an increasingly attractive alternative to petroleum-based fuels. Clostridium tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T is well documented as a fermentation strain for the production of acids. However, it has been reported that butyrate inhibits its growth, and the accumulation of acetate also inhibits biomass synthesis, making production of butyric acid from conventional fermentation processes economically challenging.

Simultaneous determination of seven alkaloids in Phellodendron chinense Schneid by high-performance liquid chromatography.

By optimizing the extraction, separation, and analytical conditions, a reliable and accurate HPLC method coupled with a photodiode array detector was developed for simultaneous detection and quantification of seven alkaloids, i.e., (-)-(R)-platydesmin, noroxyhydrastinine, berberine, skimmianine, canthin-6-one, chilenine, and pteleine in "huangbo" (the bark of Phellodendron chinense), a commonly used herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

A pair of epimeric spirosesquiterpenes from the roots of Ligularia fischeri.

Two new highly oxygenated spirosesquiterpene lactones, ligulactones A (1) and B (2), and one known sesquiterpenoid, 1beta,10beta-epoxy-6beta-isobutyryloxy-9-oxo-furanoeremophilane (3), were isolated from the roots of Ligularia fischeri. Their structures and relative configurations were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR and MS data and by comparison of their NMR data with those of related compounds. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses confirmed their structures.

Dammarane- and taraxastane-type triterpenoids from Saussurea oligantha Franch.

A new dammarane triterpenoid oliganthas A (1) and a new taraxastane triterpenoid oliganthas B (2), as well as five known taraxastane triterpenoids, ptiloepoxide (3), taraxast-20(30)ene-3beta,21alpha-diol (4), 22-oxo-20-taraxasten-3beta-ol (5), taraxast-20-ene-3beta,30-diol (6), and taraxastane-3beta,20alpha-diol (7), were isolated from the whole plant of Saussurea oligantha Franch. Their structures were elucidated by a series of spectroscopic methods. These compounds, especially taraxastanes 2, 5, and 6, exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Actinomyces viscosus ATCC27044.